Chapter 3: Decisions
She did.
"What is the matter with you Zuko? You had me worrying about you all afternoon, and then you come home late in the night on the verge of death? Are you trying to upset me? I have half a mind to put a leash on you right now! Wha-"
Zuko pulled her into an embrace. She struggled, but he didn't mind it. It only gave him more of a reason to hold on to her tighter. When she finally stopped squirming, Zuko slowly let go of his embrace and moved in to whisper.
"I'm just so happy that I got to see you again."
"…Stupid."
"I love you."
"…I love you too."
Just a while ago she had been positively seething. But now, she couldn't even look Zuko in the eye. She was shying away from him; trying to hide the tears swelling in her deep, amber eyes and the expression of pain that donned over face. Zuko stroked her cheek with his bloodied hands, leaving a trail of red on her face. He gently moved his fingers around until he had painted a heart on it.
"Mai… I have to tell you something."
"What is it?"
Before continuing on with what he was about to say, Zuko closed the doors of their chambers and locked it. He pulled out the note that the Blue Spirit had left behind, and gave it to Mai.
"Read it."
"…Zuko… What is this?"
"The person who tried to kill me… last night… he was wearing a mask."
"Of course he'd be wearing a ma-"
"No… My mask. He was wearing my mask; The Blue Spirit."
"What? How? The only people who knew your secret were your Uncle and I..."
"Exactly. And the note… It says to meet him in Ba Sing Se, the Jasmine Dragon. That's Uncle's tea shop, Mai! He's taunting me. If he steps foot in Uncles shop, I'll kill him!"
"Zuko… calm down. This letter… there's something more to it."
"What do you mean?"
"The paper; It's much rougher on the other side. There are bumps and dents on the paper itself."
Mai picked up the inkstone, held the paper diagonally, and asked Zuko to pour the ink on the paper from the top end. The ink slowly crawled down, swerving around the bumps, creating letters as it passed them until a new message was formed.
Zuko. The Dragon of the West is calling. The time has come for you to fulfill Iroh's last wishes.
"What…?"
"…It could be a trap."
"I know. But… what if it isn't? What if the person who tried to kill me, knew something about Uncle?"
Zuko had his back turned to Mai. He wasn't sure of what he was supposed to do. It had been so long since the last time that he felt so… torn; so conflicted. And this time, Iroh wasn't here to help him.
"…Go."
"Mai… What about you..?"
"Me? I'll handle things here, don't worry about me."
"No… I mean… What about you."
"…I'll be here… Waiting; for the return of my beloved husband."
"Mai… Thank you…"
"I take it you'll leave after your wounds have healed?"
"Well, yes."
"Good. Oh and, get this through your head Zuko. If you come home looking like you do now, all bloodied and whatnot, I will personally, put you out of your misery. Got it sweetie?" She whispered as she held him by the collar. Coming from her, words such as those always sounded so endearing and sincere… and even adorable.
"Yes dear" Zuko said with a smile. He kissed her softly but passionately and embraced her warmly; then, he picked her up and laid her down gently on their bed. The milky moonlight shining on her skin, the blood dripping down his arms, the red heart painted on her cheek; in a way, it all looked so… beautiful. In a grotesque, twisted way, it was indeed a beautiful night.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender nor do I own any of the characters in the series.
Okay, guys, sorry about this. I sort of made a little mistake in uploading the Chapters. This is actually the missing chapter between Firefly and A Firelord's Quest. Basically, this chapter explains what happened when Zuko came home and how they managed to decipher the code of the note. I highly suggest reading this then returning to the chapter you're on, as it will explain a lot of things in the story i.e. Why Zuko traveled to Ba Sing Se in the first place. Hope you guys enjoy it, and once again, I'm sorry.